This Cool Floating Pool in Tinos, Greece Will Make You Wish You Were Here

Designed as an invisible oasis, this aptly named Mirage house was awarded a 2016 American Architecture Prize for the innovative way the island property has been completely integrated into its natural surroundings.

Created by Athens-based firm Kois Associated Architects, the Mirage house and pool are designed to give the owners incredible panoramic views over the Aegean Sea, but also to ensure it has minimal impact on the existing landscape of Tinos, an unspoiled Greek island in the Cyclades. According to architect Stelios Kois, “Reflecting nature is the only way to integrate in it” – a sentiment that was at the heart of the project.
“The infinity pool merges with the seascape and the Greek sky, thus providing an illusion inspired by the optical phenomenon of mirage,” adds Kois. “The presence of the house is revealed only through the mirror-effect surface of the pool, keeping the rest of the property camouflaged.”
The house itself is carved into the rock face and sits on a single level, hidden behind a drystone wall that is characteristic of those on the island. Most of the materials used for the project were from local sources to ensure the house all-but disappeared into the existing topography.
This cave-like home establishes an ongoing dialogue with the landscape, in an effort to highlight how less can actually be more, paying reverence to the island’s natural environment.